


The Silver Witch

by PhoenixDown (SekseeDragoness)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angeal is a big teddybear, Cloud is a Floof, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Eventual Smut, Genesis is a little shit and proud of it, Insinuated Murder, M/M, Minor Character Death, Seph is a sweetheart, Zack is Zack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-03-21 17:22:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13745712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SekseeDragoness/pseuds/PhoenixDown
Summary: Sephiroth escapes ShinRa's clutches and settles high up in the Nibel Mountains.Cloud's in need of a healer and the only one around is the mysterious Silver Witch of the mountains.Sephiroth finds freedom to be soo much more than he expected and Cloud discovers that there are people other than his mother worth fighting for in the world... even if they are technically trying to live away from it.





	1. Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> This will eventually end up being Seph/Cloud but it will be a slow build and even though I have put Zack, Gen and Ang in the tags, they won't show up til quite a bit later in the story.
> 
> I will edit the tags as I update because who the feck knows what I will end up writing. For all I know, we could fall down the rabbit hole and end up stuck halfway up Ifrit's flaming asshole... *shrug* ENJOY!!!! ^_^

It was a strange thing to contemplate, freedom.   
He wasn't quite sure what it really meant. Sure, he understood the meaning of the word, but the physical and psychological implications of actually obtaining that freedom? He couldn't quite comprehend what that would entail. How it could affect his life.

He had never had a chance to experience even a taste of freedom while growing up. He was just another number, another experiment, another read-out on a computer screen. He was a thing, a monster in human skin, a weapon, company property. Those things don't get freedom, why would an object need freedom.  
His fellow SOLDIER were different, they started as human, that gave them rights and reasons to deserve freedom, but he was just a lab creation. 

It had taken almost two years of convincing by his only friends (and he could admit that was what they were now) for him to finally be at a stage where he believed he was more than just an experiment, more than a mindless weapon. He had his own thoughts, his own personality, he was not an inanimate object and he was not some wild, instinct-driven monster with limited intelligence and no sense of self. All of that made him worthy of some level of freedom. It made him at least deserving of a more humane existence than what he had grown up in and that made him thoroughly pissed off.

He had gone through a roller coaster of emotions coming to terms with the fact that he had been raised to believe he was not human at all, yet with one simple question, his friends had finally made him question that. Hojo was his father. Hojo was (disputably) human. How could he be completely inhuman if that was true?  
With that realization came another. His own father had not only raised him as inhuman, he had verbally, mentally and physically tortured him his whole childhood. The scars covering his body from operations done on him, (most unanesthetized to build up his pain tolerance) were clear proof of the physical tortures he had endured and the fact it had taken him eighteen years of life and two people willing to break through his walls to make him see the lies, were indicative of his mental scars.

His friends convinced him to leave the company with them, but he couldn't leave that man to hurt others. They were all due to leave for Wutai the next day and that is when they were going to disappear, to find their freedom. An hour before that he was due to get a pre-mission check-up. He knew it would be just he and Hojo. The man was possessive of him. He didn't like anyone to know what his greatest creation required to be kept going. To be kept on top. But Sephiroth knew.   
He knew that the man had been lying about what was put into his monthly upkeep shots, he had looked into his own files when the man had arrogantly left them within reach as he left the room. Upkeep was a complete lie. His levels and all of his tests came back as completely stable. The shots were little more than vitamin shots dyed mako green to try to trick him. 

But that would end tomorrow.   
Tomorrow he would take care of the man and then leave with his friends to Wutai before anyone was the wiser. By the time they would find the body, The three would be gone with the wind.


	2. Sightings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud hears of a stranger in town.

Cloud wasn't a very outgoing child, it was hard for him to make friends in a town where, if they weren't outright ignoring you, they were making snide remarks or abusing you simply for being born. It wasn't like he chose to be a bastard child and it certainly wasn't his mother's fault that her fiance had been killed before they could get married. But in the eyes of the womenfolk, she should have kept her legs together until after the wedding, just like they all swore they had with their husbands and the last thing the men would do was go against their wives. Once labeled in such a small town, it stuck. Cloud shouldn't have existed in their eyes and so, at best, he was grudgingly tolerated by the nicest members of the town.

Cloud spent his childhood trying to make at least some friends, but just like the adults, the children followed suit by barely tolerating him if not outright ignoring him. Some spitting the same venomous words they always heard from their parents. It wasn't uncommon for a young Cloud to trundle home with a black eye, multiple bruises, cuts, scrapes or sprains, due to the bullying he had suffered at the hands of his peers.

But he never let it get him too down. He was determined to help his mother as much as possible. To be the best son he could be, because she had been the best mother she could be in spite of the town she ended up trapped in, unwed, grieving, raising a baby on her own in a town that labeled her a whore.  
Cloud made it his mission to make her smile when he could and to help her in any way that he could. He would do anything to help his mother. 

Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to leave the small mountain town, but his mother refused to leave the house her fiance had bought for them and she refused to move away from his resting place in their backyard. So Cloud would stay. He could never leave her to deal with the close-minded, petty little town on her own.

He and his mother didn't have it easy, but with hard work and sheer Strife stubbornness, they had managed to clear out a large patch of their land and established a healthy little vegetable garden. Most years it saved them money on their groceries as well as providing them with something to trade with the town for other household needs. Because even if she was a 'whore' fresh food was a commodity.  
Out of necessity, Cloud had learned how to make household repairs by reading books and watching videos, he borrowed from the town library. On a good year, his mother also made preserves and jams with the excess crops that she was unable to sell or trade away.

When things were good, they were even able to buy special treats sometimes, like sugar to make sweets and cakes for special occasions. They had even managed to save enough money over the years, to buy an old pickup truck for his mum to drive around if she needed to get something large for the house and Cloud traded in his old tv that he never watched, for an old farm bike that needed fixing and would spend his spare time tinkering with it in the hopes that he could get it working well enough to take trips down the mountain, to the next nearest town, to get things they couldn't get locally.

The first Cloud knew of the Silver stranger's existence was when he overheard a conversation between two of the locals, while he was at the store buying flour and eggs. They were discussing the mysterious appearance of a silver-haired man. He had just walked out of the woods, into town and had bought about six months supply of food, before walking straight back into the woods. 

A few months later he had overheard some more talk about the man they had started calling the Silver Trapper at that point, he had walked into town again, but this time he was in need of building type supplies. He bought nails, a hammer, a saw and various other items and again, walked straight back out into the woods.

The first time he had seen him was from a distance. He watched as a tall man in a long dark brown cloak walked out from among the trees. He walked straight to the inn and disappeared inside. Cloud later heard the man had gone into the inn and offered help with collecting any local herbs the town needed and even offered his hunting skills if needed. He made arrangements to come back into the town once every couple of weeks to check if anyone needed his services.


	3. Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud needs medical help and goes in search of the mysterious Silver Witch.

It was just after the next winter thaw when Cloud's mother started to get sick. At first, it was just a small cough when she over-exerted herself, but soon it developed into hacking coughs, a fever and a constant migraine. Cloud did everything he could to keep his mother warm and hydrated, but he knew she needed medicine. The only problem was, that last years crop had been abysmal, it had barely been enough to get them through the winter. They had already resorted to selling the old truck just before winter so that they would have enough supplies to get them through.

They had nothing to spare, nothing to trade, nothing to sell, nothing to offer in exchange for the expensive medicines his mother would need to get well. The sickness was wracking her body, she had started coughing up blood and she was growing weaker every day. It was then that Cloud remembered hearing the townsfolk talking about the 'Silver Witch' and how he had managed to give old Mrs McKenna a tincture that relieved the pain of her arthritis through the cold winter. He knew it was his only chance. perhaps the witch could help him, maybe there was something useless to the town, but useful to the witch, that he could offer.

Cloud went to his mother's bedside and told her his plan. She begged him not to go, but she was barely able to talk without a coughing fit starting. For the first time in his life, Cloud ignored his mother's request. He waited for her to fall asleep and then quickly left.

He headed straight to the Inn in the hopes of finding out when the Silver Witch was due to come back into town. Tifa Lockhart informed him that he hadn't been back into town since the thaw yet and had given no indication before the winter of when he would come back, just that he would come back.  
His mother was too sick, he couldn't wait. He decided his only choice was to go find the witch for himself.

He ran back home and got ready for the search. He packed enough for a week out in the wild and added a few more layers of clothing because it was still freezing at night. He gave his mother a kiss before heading back to the Inn. He wasn't what you would call friends, with the Mayor's daughter, but she was one of the few decent people in the town who actually cared what happened to the Strife's. So he asked her to check in on his mother over the next week while he looked for the witch. She called him crazy, then said she would stay with his mother until he returned. He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her before heading off into the woods.

He wasn't quite sure how he was going to find him, but he did know which way the man always headed out of the woods, so he started out that way. 

Being a local and having to hunt and trap to survive the harsh mountain climate, Cloud knew most areas of the surrounding mountainside, but because the Silver Witch would only come into town once every two weeks, it widened the search area way beyond what Cloud knew of the area. All he could do was to hope that the man headed straight into town from where he was living, so he kept going as straight as he could. He figured if he didn't hit anything the first two days, he would head back to check on his mother before preparing for a longer trek.  
He honestly didn't think he had much hope of finding one man on the mountain, but it was better than sitting at home doing nothing while watching his mother get weaker and weaker. 

It felt like he'd barely made any progress by the time he had to set up a camp for the night, but he knew it was better to set up camp before dark came and the cold along with it. He built a small fire to cook a rabbit he had managed to snare for dinner and sat staring into the fire, thinking about how his mother might be doing.  
After having a feed he curled up in his sleeping bag, in his tent and fell to sleep listening to the sounds of the mountains.

It felt like he had barely fallen asleep when he was woken by an unusual light from outside the tent. He knew he had put his fire out before getting into his tent, but from the looks of things, the fire had been relit.  
Cloud slowly unzipped himself from his sleeping bag and crawled to the flap of his tent. He unzipped the tent to peek out through the flap and his eyes went wide. He wondered if perhaps he was still dreaming, but then a cold breeze blew into his tent, chilling him to the bone. Cloud was NOT dreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Murrrrrrrrrrr, please let me know if there are mistakes.


	4. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth runs into a puff of sunshine... XD

Sephiroth had spent years on the run before finally making his way up into the Nibel Mountains. Being a natural strategist had been an advantage, but Shinra had plenty of those in their ranks, so outmaneuvering them had been the real challenge.

But in the last few years, he had managed to find his freedom and solitude, high up in the mountains. He and his friends had built a little cabin for himself the first year and he had spent the next two after they had gone their separate ways, continuing to make his house a home. Clearing the immediate area around his place of the larger wildlife and establishing his place at the top of the food chain with the monsters in the area. 

Once that was done, it became his objective to establish some way of continuing to survive the harsh mountain weather from year to year as his first three winters on the mountain had frankly, sucked. The only real thing that had kept his friends and himself alive that first winter, was the mako in their systems. The next two had been a learning curve, but he had realized that he needed things that he couldn't provide for himself, to be able to live properly, without having to rely on his enhancements to keep him alive through the cold winters. So he had made his way into the small town of Nibelheim. He got himself supplies and headed back to his cabin.

A few months later he was sick of not having proper shelving or storage for his supplies, so he headed back into the town, grabbed tools and supplies to make himself what he needed and then again, he headed back to his cabin.

It was probably another few months before he headed back into town offering his services and establishing a schedule for his return. It was a way to earn his way in the local community, to have a way to trade for foodstuffs in the future. Sure he had plenty of money stashed away, but if he continued using his money for years, that would only make the townsfolk suspicious. Besides, He needed money if he had to run and re-establish himself elsewhere.

He finally spent a winter in relative comfort, with plenty of food stored, plenty of wood stockpiled. It was the most relaxing winter he could ever remember having in his life.  
He finally felt like he had found the sense of true freedom he had been seeking.

As soon as the first signs of thaw began, Sephiroth started making preparations for his next visit to the small mountain town. He wrapped up bunches of dried herbs he had prepared over the winter months and packed a satchel full of his tinctures and potions.

He set off on his two-day journey towards the town with little else. compared to the cold of the mountain higher up where his cabin was, the temperatures down towards the town would feel almost balmy.

It was as he was setting up to stop for the night when he first spotted a glow some way down the mountain. He was curious. Nobody came out this far to hunt, this early into spring. He calculated the distance and figured that if he kept going, he could make it to the camp before midnight. It wasn't often that things made him curious, and if this was part of a ShinRa search starting, he would like to know sooner, rather than later.

As he got closer to the campsite, it was easy to tell it wasn't anyone from his old company. The person was clearly from the mountains, you could tell by the self-patched tent and the fact that they had put the fire out before going to bed. people unfamiliar with the area seemed to like to keep their fires going, thinking it would keep them safer.   
Unfortunately, they were the same people who never returned from the mountains, as unlike most wild animals, the Nibel Wolves knew that fire often meant an easy meal and worse still, higher into the mountains, Nibel Dragons would actively attack any signs of fire and anything that moved near it, as they seemed to see the fire as a sign of another Dragon moving in on their territory.

He carefully made his way to the tent, being sure not to make any sound. He listened carefully and could hear just one person within the tent. He debated on whether or not to wait to greet them until morning, but his curiosity needed to be sated, or he would never get any sleep. So he lit a fire and waited while quietly humming to himself.

It actually surprised him how fast the person was awoken by the flickering light. The breathing hitched slightly before Sephiroth heard a sound of confusion. That was quickly followed by the sound of a zipper, some rustling of a sleeping bag and then the zipper on the tent went up and a pair of bright blue eyes were blinking up at him from the tent flap.

Sephiroth kept still, staring into the fire calmly as the youth shuddered suddenly at a breeze. The blue eyes promptly disappeared back into the tent and more rustling was heard from inside before the tent flap was lifted back up, and a puff of sunlight seemed to emerge from the tent, wrapped in a pile of fur.  
Sephiroth blinked at the sight before him as the youth settled himself by the fire before looking back up at the former SOLDIER. All Sephiroth could see was a shock of bright blond spikes and fluffy fur surrounding the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. It was somewhat comical.

They sat staring at each other for a time before a muffled question was emitted from within the depths of the pile of fluff

"Are you the Silver Witch?"

Sephiroth blinked slowly, trying his hardest not to react outwardly "Is that what they call me now?"

The puff of sunshine bounced up and down as the youth nodded.

Sephiroth contemplated the name for a moment with a hum, then nodded as well "Then I guess I am. And you are?"

The blue eyes shot wide open "OH, I'm Cloud, sorry..." His eyes fell to the ground and if the area around the man's eyes hadn't already been rosy from the cold, Sephiroth was sure they would have been from embarrassment.

Sephiroth gave a small smile "Well then, I'm pleased to meet you Cloud. You may call me Silver. What is it you are doing out here so early in spring?"

Cloud looked back up at him and he found himself a little captivated by the openness in those eyes "I'm actually out here looking for..." He suddenly started choking and the taller man became a little worried before Cloud managed to shake the furs away from his face and spit a bunch of it out of his mouth ".. sorry... I was looking for you"

Sephiroth's eyebrow shot up and the blonde continued "It's my mother, she's really sick, but we don't have the means to buy the medicines Shinra supplies. They are just too expensive. If it was just a normal cold, we would ride it out, but she's getting weaker every day and I just don't know what to do. I need help and you are the only person I thought might be able... and willing, to help me. I'm begging you. I'll do anything, just please, can you at least come and look at her and see if you can help?...." The youth trailed off and this time Sephiroth saw the red tinge that spread across his features.

"I'll take a look at her as soon as we get to town tomorrow, then we can discuss what price I may require IF I can help. The town may call me a witch, but I'm not. I may not be able to help your mother and you need to prepare for that, just in case. But even if I am unable to cure her, I may at least be able to help her to rest more peacefully. Do you understand?"

The blond nodded his head and Sephiroth felt a little guilty seeing the tears in his eyes, but he wasn't able to cure everything and despite being labeled a witch, the last thing he wanted to do was use magic and expose himself.  
He let out a small sigh "Now, get some rest, I plan to leave by first light. Sleep well, Cloud" 

Cloud nodded and quickly zipped himself back into his tent and settled down to sleep. Sephiroth listened as the poor boy quietly cried himself to sleep. It wasn't until the youth's breathing had settled into a calm sleeping rhythm, that Sephiroth finally put the fire back out and curled up on the forest floor to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, I have one more chapter done after this, but I am still going over it again before posting...


	5. Morning Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud is prone to putting his foot in it. Lucky for him, Seph understands how to navigate his way out of awkward

It was still dark when Cloud was awoken by the sound of birdsong outside his tent. It was one of the first signs of the weather really warming up and Cloud always loved to wake up to the sound, but it usually started a little later in the year.  
He mentally shrugged before stretching his legs out in his sleeping bag, enjoying the warmth cocooning him. His bladder made itself known now that he had shown signs of waking, but Cloud forced it down. He knew it was gonna be as cold as Shiva's nipples out there and he shuddered at the thought of having to expose such a sensitive part of his body to that.

He let himself enjoy the warmth for a couple more minutes while his brain woke up, then grudgingly dragged his arm out of the bag. He flopped his hand on the floor nearby before he connected with his backpack. His hand dove in, coming back with a thick pair of socks and a clean pair of jocks. It was a little silly that even out in the woods he felt the need to change his underwear every day, but it had been drilled into his head from the start, that you always change them. 

When he had hit a rebellious stage a few years back and questioned his mother why it mattered, she had immediately replied "Do you think your father expected to die on the day he did? Do you think he went to the emergency room with disgusting old skid marks in his underwear? Do you think the poor people having to strip him down to operate on him had to be faced with that, or the smell of day old ball sweat? NO. Because he changed his underwear every day and so will you Cloud Strife, or so help me, I will start buying you diapers again and change you myself"  
Cloud had backed down real fast at that, but more because she very rarely used his father as an example in arguments. He felt that if it was really that important to her that he have a clean piece of material covering his junk every day, then he could take the minute it took to change them in the morning to keep her happy.

He shuffled around in the tight confines of his sleeping bag as he managed to wriggle his pants and thermals down in one go. He quickly changed his jocks before wriggling the bottoms back up his legs. Once that was done he unzipped the bag and quickly shoved on his second pair of socks before stuffing his feet into his boots and tying them. He shivered a little in just his thermal top and a lightweight shirt so he quickly threw on his sweater and coat, before finally crawling to the opening to unzip it.

The second the flap was moved aside he groaned at the cold blast of air that assaulted him. He was unsurprised to see the Silver-haired man awake and in the process of getting a small fire started, in fact, it would have been surprising if he hadn't been awoken by all of Cloud's shuffling and grunting in his attempt to get clothed without leaving his warm cocoon.  
Cloud stomped his feet and jumped a couple of times, glaring out at the frost covered forest, before heading in a random direction to relieve himself. He came back to the camp a minute later looking more awake if a little annoyed for the experience that forced that wakefulness.

He sat down across from Silver and watched as he carefully set a small pot of water over the fire. There were some herbs and flowers floating in the water and Cloud assumed that it was some form of herbal tea. He tried not to be too obvious as he got a better look at the man he was relying on to help his mother. Unlike the night before, he had his hood down and Cloud was able to get his first real look at him.

He was surprised that the town didn't talk more about the man. Frankly, he was gorgeous. His eyes were downcast as he stirred the water, shadowed by the longest eyelashes he had ever seen, that were black in contrast to the rest of his hair. They were topped by a pair of thin, sharp eyebrows that complimented the small, straight nose. His top lip was small, but countered by a full bottom lip that looked... plush... soft... kissable.  
Cloud mentally shook himself and moved on. The man was fine boned with a sharp chin. The layers of his long fringe managing to frame his features.  
As the man sat back and looked up at Cloud, he noticed the uniqueness of his eyes for the first time. They were a vibrant combination of blues and greens, slashed down the middle by a cat-like pupil. 

Cloud blinked and looked away as the man quirked an eyebrow at him in question "Sorry. I've just never seen you up close and you always had your hood on. I'm a little surprised the women in town don't talk about you more"

Silver watched him for a moment "Why do you say that?"

Cloud couldn't help but laugh a little incredulously. Surely the man knew how good looking he was "Um, because you are by far the best looking man that has visited the town in, like... ever!" He stated it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and shook his head as he continued "Seriously, those old bats still go on about some traveling salesman that visited almost a decade ago and he was only 'not bad looking'. I'm surprised the Mayor didn't throw his daughter at you and demand that you marry her before being able to do business in the town!" Cloud rolled his eyes at the thought.

It wasn't until he looked back at the man and saw the smirk, that he realized that he had probably just given away his sexuality. He flushed bright red and opened his mouth, about to stammer an apology for grossing him out or something when the man cut him off "Well, I don't know about that, I always felt like I looked kinda gangly and weird compared to my friends, so I guess, thanks for the compliment? They likely haven't said anything about my looks because I make sure my cloak hood stays up when I'm in town. With my hair being the color it is, they likely think I'm an old man... Good to know I made the right decision on that. I really would rather NOT have people throwing their daughters at me" 

Cloud giggled as the man screwed his face up at the last statement. It was strange how the man had managed to both accept Cloud's statement and brush it off in one go. Usually, Cloud would have remained embarrassed and fretted over his words for what felt like an eternity. But this time, he knew it didn't matter somehow. It was as if the man had taken the compliment for exactly what it was and he was fine with it. He had accepted Cloud and his sexuality without a word and was okay with it.

Cloud found himself watching the man again as he poured some of the tea into a cup. Watching the reflection of the first dim rays of light breaking through the trees, reflecting off of his hair. It truly was like strands of liquid silver moving in the breeze. 

He accepted the cup that was handed to him and blew on the hot liquid before taking a careful sip. It was delicious, sweet and slightly spiced and as Cloud drank, he felt himself feeling more awake and energetic. He said as much and   
Silver smiled at him "It sounded like you might need a little something to help you wake up. It has a little bergamot and peppermint and some dried Nibel Snow Queen flowers to cut the bitterness"

"My mother would love this..." He trailed off, worry about how she was and hoping that Tifa really had checked in on her.

"Well then, we had better get going and try to get her better so she can try some" Silver smiled at him kindly and Cloud nodded as he quickly finished his tea so he could pack up to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's all she wrote folks!
> 
> For now anyway.
> 
> I have a plan for where I want this to go, but there have been plenty of times when I have had stories with plans written out and they kinda ended up... going off-road shall we say. LOL.  
> So we shall see where this goes. XD


	6. Casual Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seph is a big softie and Cloud couldn't be happier to find that out. Then, Cloud and Seph walk and talk. :D

Sephiroth watched the blond methodically pack all of his things away as he doused the fire and cleared the campsite. As he was storing his pack of tea back into his bag, a small bird flitted down from a nearby tree, landing on his shoulder. It chirruped a little tune at him and he smiled before reaching his hand up to let the bird nuzzle into his curved palm.

He gave it's head a gentle scratch before looking at it sideways "What are you doing? It's Spring now and you are far enough down the mountain to stay warm"  
The bird tilted it's little head and made another light trilling sound before hopping around on his shoulder a couple of times. He gave his long tail feathers a little wiggle, then dove into the hood of Sephiroth's cloak.

Sephiroth frowned as the bird got itself comfortably nestled amongst his hair "Clearly you disagree and clearly I spoiled you too much this winter" He sighed.  
It wasn't until he had carefully pulled his hood back into place without disturbing the bird, that he realized he had a captive audience. He glanced sideways at the younger man and was glad to be hiding beneath his hood when he saw the bright smile on his face.  
Cloud had the same look Sephiroth had once seen on a small child seeing kittens for the first time and he felt his cheeks heating up, knowing the look was aimed at his actions.

"I thought it was a little early in the year for a Nibel Wren to be up here" Cloud sounded happy and amused.

  
Sephiroth cleared his throat "I found him near frozen to death at the start of Winter, so I took him home to nurse him back to health. I figured once it hit Spring I could let him go and he would return to the woods with the other birds" He stated it calmly, refusing to look at the blond and trying not to show how embarrassed he was.  
Cloud wiped the smile off of his face with difficulty "Well, I'm afraid you'll be stuck with your charge a little while longer. His friends won't arrive this far up into the treeline for another couple of weeks"

Sephiroth nodded while absently reaching into his hood to give the bird a gentle stroke "Are you ready to go?"  
Cloud hoisted his bag onto his back and nodded before following him back towards his hometown.

They spent the first few hours of the walk in silence, not wanting to take a wrong step on the still damp and icy wildlife trail they were following. One wrong step could mean a sprained ankle or worse if you weren't careful.  
Once it hit mid-morning Cloud's curiosity was far too loud in his own head to keep silent any longer "Um, can I ask you something?"

The Silver-haired man glanced at him briefly before nodding "Yes"

It was just one word, but what was implied was much more. It was said in exactly the same way his Mother would answer that question when she thought it might be something she'd rather not answer. It was a 'You can ask, but it doesn't mean I'll give you a full answer'.  
It made Cloud even more curious.

"I was just wondering, why are you living out here? Why Nibelheim?" Cloud loaded the name of the town with every bit of loathing and dejection that he had ever been made to feel growing up there.

There was a thoughtful silence before he answered "It's quiet here. Peaceful. It's also extremely beautiful up here, even when the Mountain weather is trying to freeze you to death. Why wouldn't I live out here? As for Nibelheim... well, I don't live in the town so I doubt I suffer the same feelings towards it that you clearly do. It's the closest place to where I live so it's convenient and it's a place to stay in contact with the outside world in a small way" He glanced at Cloud with a wry grin "Even if the news is about three months behind the rest of the world"

Cloud laughed at that "only three months behind? Wow, our news deliveries must be getting faster!" He knew the polite thing to do would be to accept the answer and move on, but, well, Cloud never was one to worry overmuch about politeness with people other than his Mother. When you had spent your whole childhood being polite, only to get spat on, it made you less inclined to care about manners.  
"So, you want peace and quiet, but still want to know what is going on out there? Hmm, does that mean you are running or hiding from something?"

Silver raised an eyebrow at the blond "Aren't we all?"

"I'm not" Cloud shrugged

Silver stopped and turned to look at the young man "Maybe not, but I get the feeling that if you could run away from that town, you would do it without a second thought... If there wasn't something important holding you there"

Cloud looked away from the piercing gaze of his companion with a sigh "Well... I guess I can't deny that" He glanced back up at the witch and was rewarded with a brief smile before he turned back around and started walking again.

After that, they spent the rest of the morning in quiet conversation about their surroundings, about what Silver sold in the town and Cloud found himself opening up to the man and telling him about his childhood, about his Mother and the life they led.  
It allowed Sephiroth to come to understand the bitterness Cloud felt towards the town and also explained the desperation that drove him to seek out an unknown 'witch's' help in saving his Mother's life. Sadly it was also revealing how truly sick his Ma was and Sephiroth's treatment options for her were looking less likely to cure her and more likely to simply ease her symptoms as she drifted slowly towards the Lifestream.

He found himself feeling somewhat distressed at the thought of seeing this vibrant young man, who had already had such a hard life, going through the grief of losing his only family, but there was just no way to change the situation without falling back on methods he had forbidden himself to use.  
The risk to himself was too great. He couldn't expose himself just to keep a smile on a young man he hardly knew. It made no sense. So why then, did his brain keep drifting back to those options?

He was brought out of his thoughts by Cloud gently touching his arm "Are you alright?"

Cloud looked worried before Sephiroth shook his head and smiled "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere" He glanced up through the trees, gauging the sun's position "We should stop and eat something before moving on"  
He looked around and found a large flat rock for them to sit on while they ate lunch.


	7. Understandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver and Cloud start treating his ma's illness.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they could see the outskirts of the town and Cloud took a sharp right to keep them within the treeline while heading to his home.  
Sephiroth followed, having expected that the young man would rather avoid any more attention than necessary and if he was honest, he was quite happy to avoid it as well.

As they got closer to his house, Cloud pointed it out "She sleeps most of the time now, so we'll need to be quiet when we go in" He was already whispering, as though just the thought of waking her hurt.  
Sephiroth nodded before following him past a simple wooden cross marking the grave of Cloud's father, then walked up a small, well worn, path to his back door.

Cloud gently opened the door and was relieved to feel the warmth of the fireplace heating their small house. Tifa had obviously kept her word and made sure to keep the fire stoked.  
He took a deep breath, releasing tension he hadn't even realized he'd been carrying. He wasn't sure that he could have ever forgiven himself for leaving if he had come back to a chilled house and the light knew what else. He quickly ushered the taller man inside and closed the door behind him before bending down to remove his boots.  
The silver-haired man followed suit, watching as Cloud quietly knelt beside one of the beds to check his mother.  
He removed his gloves and gently laid a hand against her forehead, eliciting a small groan from the exhausted woman. He leaned over placing a gentle kiss on her hair before whispering "It's ok Ma, I'm here. I'll take care of you, I promise"  
At the sound of his voice, she seemed to relax and fall back to sleep fully.

Cloud slowly got to his feet, looking up at the Silver-haired man standing by the back door "Is there anything you need me to do to help?"

Silver seemed to come out of whatever trance he had been in while watching the exchange and quietly walked over to the other side of the bed. He followed Cloud's actions by laying an ungloved hand on her forehead, he frowned, before closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side a little as he leaned closer. He seemed to be listening to something Cloud couldn't hear.  
Before he had even opened his eyes again he started listing off the things he would need from Cloud "I need you to boil a large pot of water and also get a kettle boiling. Get as many blankets as you can and if you have any spare pillows they will come in handy as well. I also need to know what herbs and spices you already have in the house. The more of your own things that we can use the less it will cost you in the end. If you know how to make a vegetable broth you could start on that also, if not it's fine, I can do that later"

Cloud had been standing there nervously waiting, but as soon as he was given instructions, he felt more confident. He had a purpose and it was hopefully going to help his mother. He moved quickly and quietly around the house gathering the things the man asked for and getting the water on the stove.  
As he did this he tried to keep an eye on what the older man was doing, but even if he had been standing there watching every move, he doubted he would have had any idea what was going on.  
The Silver Witch had taken his cloak off, the little Nibel Wren flitting out of his hair to sit in the rafters as he had draped the cloak over the end of the bed. Now he seemed to be hovering his right hand over every part of his mother's body while holding something in his other hand. With his back to him, the way it was and the sunlight streaming in the window beside him, it was hard to tell exactly, but Cloud almost thought he saw a slight glow coming from the object in his hand.

After waving his hand slowly over her entire body, Silver sighed and stood up. He turned to the younger man with a grim look on his face but said nothing as he moved over to the stove where the water had started to boil. He pulled a number of pouches and small vails out of his pocket, putting them on the bench beside the stove.

Cloud glanced at his mother and the man before walking over to stand beside Silver and watch what he was doing. He was too afraid to ask about his mother, he knew how grim her situation really was, but he just couldn't let her die without trying.  
Silver handed him a bundle of leaves "I need those chopped up as finely as you can. Once you are done, put them into the pot" The man's voice was one of such authority and confidence that Cloud doubted he would go against what was asked of him even if he wanted to.

  
They worked quickly, in relative silence. Silver giving quiet, direct orders and Cloud following them. By the time they were done, there was a pot of herbs and the light knew what he had added from the bottles, bubbling on the stove letting off an aromatic steam that had already cleared Cloud's sinuses and had him breathing deeper and Cloud hadn't even realized he was starting to feel congested.  
There was also another pot on the stove, this filled with chopped root vegetables and some small fresh herbs they had gathered on the walk home. There was also small chunks of rabbit added in. Cloud had managed to trap that while they were stopped for Lunch.

  
Silver had laid all of the blankets out next to the heater so that they would warm up and he had, with the help of Cloud, gently lifted his mother up enough to stuff a couple of spare pillows under her. Leaving his mother's upper body in a slightly raised position.  
Cloud noticed that she was already breathing a little easier and sighed in relief, but the grim look still plastered on the other man's face washed that relief away almost immediately.

The last thing Silver made was two cups of tea. He handed one to Cloud and took one for himself before walking over to the set of three steps that led to the raised living area. He sat down on the middle step, sighing.  
Cloud joined him on the step and sipped his tea quietly while watching his Mother's chest rise and fall.

"Cloud, the last thing I want to do is upset you, but there is little point in me giving you false hope. Do you understand?" His deep voice sounded like a gentle vibration from deep below the ground and Cloud found it soothing in spite of the words.

  
He nodded "She's dying, I knew that when I came to get you, but I just... I couldn't give up... I can't... She's all I have. She's the only thing worth a damn in this wretched town. She's given up everything. She gave me everything she could. Life's always been hard, but we never give up. Strife's never give up. We are stubborn to the core, that's what Ma has always told me... I'm not giving up on her! Do you understand?"  
A few tears had made there way down Cloud's face as he spoke and as he looked at Silver, the older man found himself struggling with his decision once again. But he nodded in understanding.


	8. Stubborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strife's aren't the only stubborn people around.

It was almost dusk when there was a quiet tap on the front door and Cloud went to answer it. Before he got there, the door opened and Tifa poked her head in "Ms. Strife, it's just me" She stopped and gasped when she saw Cloud stopped halfway to the door "Oh, Cloud. You're back!"  
Cloud found himself embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, messing up his already unruly hair "Yeah, sorry Tifa, I should have come and let you know"  
"Oh don't be silly. You were taking care of your Ma, I get it" She stood there awkwardly for a second, before apparently coming to a decision and stepping fully inside the house. She closed the door behind her and handed a small container over to Cloud before undoing her boots and leaving them by the door "So, did you find him?"  
Cloud glanced at the container handed to him. It felt warm and Cloud figured it had some sort of food in it. He handed it back to Tifa as she stepped away from the door "Yeah, well... No. He found me actually" The brunette raised her eyebrow at him and he shrugged "Apparently he was already on his way into town and when he saw my fire last night, he decided to see what sort of idiot was out this early into the season"   
Tifa giggled at his self-deprecating joke and shook her head "I'm glad you found him Cloud. I was hoping you were just being a worry wart about your Ma, but, she's really sick. I hope he can help"  
Cloud gave her a genuine smile, which was a rare thing for anyone in the town to see, let alone for it to be aimed at someone other than his ma "Thanks, Tifa. Me too"

They walked around the corner and found the Silver Witch checking over his Ma again.  
Cloud was a little surprised to find he had himself cloaked and fully covered by the hood again, but then coughed to cover up a giggle at the thought of Mayor Lockhart marrying him off to the girl standing next to him if she let slip about his handsome looks.  
At the cough, Silver's head slowly raised and he knew he was being glared at. Cloud suddenly decided to find elsewhere to look "Tifa, you want me to put that over by the heat so it doesn't go cold?" He asked as he took the container from her hands and turned away to hide his grin.

"Oh, yeah, sure" She was confused by his sudden help but shrugged it off as part of Cloud's usual awkwardness and she took the distinct hum from the silver-haired man to be something to do with him checking over Cloud's mother.

Tifa stood watching the cloaked man hover over the small blonde woman for a while before clearing her throat "So, do you think you can actually help her?" She asked quietly enough for Cloud, who was fussing with the broth on the stove, not to hear "I mean I've seen some people like this before and without those ShinRa meds, they all die" 

"I'm doing what I can for her, time will tell how much it helps" He replied shortly. Sephiroth found it difficult to bite back the snide remarks that came to mind whenever ShinRa was mentioned. Especially when said so confidently by this girl who knew nothing of the company and its vile practices.

"Look. I just don't want you taking advantage of this. She's dying, she knows that and the last thing she wants is someone making money off of her death by selling Cloud snake-oil and Chocobo shit. It's bad enough he's gonna be all alone once she's gone, without being sent broke by some charlatan feeding off of his stubborn inability to accept the truth!" She whispered harshly.   
The hooded figure looked up at her and despite not being able to see his face, she found herself taking a step back and getting into a defensive stance at the death glare she felt aimed at her.

He had heard from Cloud about the life he had endured in this town and he knew that this was probably one of the only people who would dare to say anything about the Strifes being taken advantage of in any way. He appreciated the strength and conviction it took for her to say it, but the part of him that knew he could actually save her (even if it was just to prove this little upstart wrong) had flared up at her words.   
Silver closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out "I understand your concern, but I have no desire to give false hope or take advantage of anyone. I have already told Cloud that I will likely only be able to ease her symptoms and make her passing a more comfortable one. I have been very clear about all of this, you need not worry"

Tifa's stance relaxed at his words, but a small frown still marred her face. Saying and doing were two different things, she couldn't very well confirm his words without upsetting Cloud, but she nodded in acceptance anyway.

She joined Cloud by the stove and watched as he dished out bowls of the delicious smelling broth he and Silver had made.  
Cloud could see the worry on her face and knew it was aimed at him. He didn't understand why she would care so much considering their history. He still received snide remarks about him 'getting Tifa hurt' all those years ago and although he had made peace with her over that, he still felt the sting of those words when they were spat at him. He knew she didn't blame him, but it was hard to accept when she was still a bystander to the bad treatment he had endured because of it.  
More than anything though, he still blamed himself for not being able to stop her from getting hurt. 

He handed her a bowl and spoon "Thanks for your help, Tifa. I appreciate it"  
She nodded "I was happy to help. Your Ma's a good person, she's worried about you though"

Cloud shook his head in confusion "I'm fine. She's the one who's sick!"

Tifa gave him a sympathetic look before speaking gently to him "Cloud, she is worried about you because she doesn't want you wasting what little resources you have on... She knows how stubborn you are and that you don't want to give up on her, but she worries that you will be left with nothing in the end"

Cloud carefully put the bowl he had picked up, back down onto the bench and took a deep breath "If it was me in that bed, Ma would tear the world apart trying anything to get me better and to Hel with the consequences. She's all I have, Tifa. If I could give my life for hers I would in a heartbeat. If I had to burn this entire town down just to get a cure for her, I would. I would literally bury every last person in this town under the mountain if it meant saving her and I'd have no regrets. I will never be 'left with nothing in the end' because even if I'm broke, with not a thing left to my name and my Ma passes on to the Lifestream anyway, at least I know I never gave up on her, I did everything I could to save her. It would still be worth it to know that at least I tried"  
Tifa stood there staring at him with her mouth open while he picked the bowl back up and walked over to the beds. She watched as he spoke to the Silver-haired man who nodded and took the bowl from him before sitting on the opposite bed to have his dinner.

Tifa sighed and shook her head at Cloud as he walked back to grab his own bowl "Your Ma was wrong"  
Cloud blinked at her in confusion "What?"  
She rolled her eyes at him grinned "Stubborn is nowhere near a strong enough word to describe you, Cloud Strife" She declared as she walked over and gently sat on the end of Ma Strife's bed to eat.  
Cloud blushed as he followed her, taking a seat beside the Silver Witch.

All three of them were startled by the slightly raspy, but still gentle voice of his Ma "I doubt there's a word among all of the languages of Great Gaia, that is strong enough to describe the willfulness of my son"


	9. A Twisted Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes fate has a way of twisting things.
> 
> APRIL FOOLS 2018!!! Go to the next chapter, for the real chapter 9. This is all just a dream. You were never here!

"Ma!" Cloud placed his bowl on the side table as he stood to check how his ma was. He couldn't describe the relief he felt at her finally being awake.  
She smiled up at him and lifted her hand to the side of his face. He could see the effort it took her to do that simple act, but before he could become worried, she grabbed his earlobe, pinching and yanking it sharply, making him cry out in surprise more than pain, before letting her hand fall back to her side "You little shit! I told you not to go to the Witch for help. What the Hel do you think you have that could pay for a cure even if this... Herb-Peddler, actually could cure me?"

Cloud wanted to feel offended, but he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He hadn't heard her get a complete sentence out without coughing in over a week "You would have done the same. I get that stubbornness from you, remember"

"If I wasn't soo weak I'd wipe that smile off your damned face, child. I raised you to be stubborn, not stupid! I worked hard to make sure you would be okay once I passed on and now you are wasting all that effort with your-" She was cut off by an embarrassingly loud growl from her stomach.

Cloud happily trotted over to the stove and filled another bowl with the vegetable broth, while Tifa and Silver helped the older woman to sit more upright as she grumbled about being treated like an invalid. Cloud took a seat on her bed to help feed her the broth as she continued to berate him about his idiocy. Though she still sounded raspy and weak, the only time she coughed through it all, was when she accidentally breathed in some of the soup.  
After she'd had her fill, she grudgingly accepted the pampering and fussing of her three caretakers, before drifting back to sleep.

Tifa left shortly afterward with a wave and a quiet farewell, leaving Cloud and Silver staring after her, both feeling exhausted. Cloud stretched his back out before swapping out some of the warmed blankets for the ones on his Ma's bed. He placed the old ones in front of the heater, then went to get changed for bed.  
After he came back out, Silver took his turn in the bathroom while cloud set up a make-do bed on the floor of the living area, with cushions and more blankets. When the older man came out, he went to get himself comfortable on the blankets, but Cloud stopped him "You can take my bed, please, it's the least I can do for all you have already done for my Ma"

Silver nodded in acceptance.  
They both got comfortable before Silver turned the lamp off beside Cloud's bed "Sleep well, Cloud"  
"Good night, Silver"  
~~~~  
The next morning, Silver woke up to a loud buzzing in his ears just as the sun rose.  
He sighed and shook his head. He hadn't slept well, his night consumed by nightmares of monsters, blood, and flames.  
He tried to dispel the buzzing by sticking his pinky in his ear and wriggling it around, to no avail. 

With another sigh, he got up and checked on Cloud's Ma. She seemed to be sleeping well enough and if the snoring from the blond bundle over the other side of the room was any indication, Cloud was sleeping well too.

He threw his cloak on and headed out of the back door, making his way around the outskirts of the town to his usual entry point, before heading into the town center.  
Instead of heading to the Inn like he was planning to, he found himself heading past it, continuing back out of town towards the woods. 

He wasn't sure why, but he found himself starting up the mountain path, before coming to a stop not far outside of town, at the gates of an old abandoned mansion. He stood looking at the house for a while before reaching forward and pushing on the gates. When they didn't open, he simply forced them. One gate crumbling away from it's severely rusted hinged with a loud creaking, crunching groan before it fell with a loud thump to the soft earth.

Sephiroth paid it no mind as he walked up the overgrown path, towards the front door. He turned the handle and pushed it open, the lock snapping under his unforgiving strength.

Inside was a dust-covered grand entrance. Two sets of stairs leading left and right up towards the second floor. He slowly heads up the right set of stairs, before going right once in the hallway. He tilts his head, listening to the buzzing for a moment before entering the room next to him, walking straight through it and into the adjoining study. He finds himself standing in front of a rounded wall in one corner.

He stares at it for a long while, before Masamune manifests in his hand and he makes two swift slicing motions with it. What was a hidden door falls back in towards a hidden spiral staircase that crumbles under the heavy crushing weight of the thick steel door.  
Sephiroth assesses the depths below before jumping down into the darkness and disappearing.  
~~~~  
Less than a week later, what was formerly known as the small town of Nibelheim is swarmed with ShinRa personnel. Half of them doing cleanup, the other half researching the cause of the fires that swallowed the town whole.

What they learn from the few survivors is horrifying. A man they called the Silver Witch had razed the town, an unbelievably long, thin sword in one hand and the decapitated head of a woman in his other. He had been ranting about being a living God and how he and his kind had been wronged. How he was going to make all Gaians pay for their sins and ride the planet through the stars with his Mother.

The only person who had dared to even try talking sense into him and then stand up against his insanity was a man the town residents had formerly looked down upon, whose mother had died of illness, just before the insanity.  
He was now lying in a pile on the ground near the water tower, where his small body had landed and bled out after he was skewered on the man's sword, held aloft and then flung aside like a bug. Before the tall murderer has simply walked out of town with not a glance back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♥♥♥♥APRIL FOOLS!!!!! ♥♥♥♥
> 
> I'm sure most of you figured it out before getting halfway through the twist in the story. I'd say I'm sorry, but my readers who know me well, know I ain't even a little sorry!! *evil cackle* :D
> 
> BUT, if it makes you feel any better, the very first part is actually a little sneaky preview of the start of the real chapter 9. I should have the real one up in the next couple of days, I will likely just rename this as April Fools 2018 when I do put it up, that way you will still get the new chapter notification. 
> 
> Have a Happy Easter my lovelies! MWAH! xoxoxoxo


	10. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth and Cloud both have a rough night, but talking about it can help.

"Ma!" Cloud placed his bowl on the side table as he stood to check how his ma was. He couldn't describe the relief he felt at her finally being awake.   
She smiled up at him and lifted her hand to the side of his face. He could see the effort it took her to do that simple act, but before he could become worried, she grabbed his earlobe, pinching and yanking it sharply, making him cry out in surprise more than pain, before letting her hand fall back to her side "You little shit! I told you not to go to the Witch for help. What the Hel do you think you have that could pay for a cure even if this... Herb-Peddler, actually could cure me?"

Cloud wanted to feel offended, but he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He hadn't heard her get a complete sentence out without coughing in over a week "You would have done the same. I get that stubbornness from you, remember"

"If I wasn't soo weak I'd wipe that smile off your damned face, child. I raised you to be stubborn, not stupid! I worked hard to make sure you would be okay once I passed on and now you are wasting all that effort with your-" She was cut off by an embarrassingly loud growl from her stomach.

Cloud happily trotted over to the stove and filled another bowl with the vegetable broth, while Tifa and Silver helped the older woman to sit more upright as she grumbled about being treated like an invalid. Cloud took a seat on her bed to help feed her the broth as she continued to berate him about his idiocy. Though she still sounded raspy and weak, the only time she coughed through it all, was when she accidentally breathed in some of the soup.  
After she'd had her fill, she grudgingly accepted the pampering and fussing of her three caretakers, before drifting back to sleep.

Tifa left shortly afterward with a wave and a quiet farewell, leaving Cloud and Silver staring after her, both feeling exhausted. Cloud stretched his back out before swapping out some of the warmed blankets for the ones on his Ma's bed. He placed the old ones in front of the heater, then went to get changed for bed.   
After he came back out, Silver took his turn in the bathroom while cloud set up a make-shift bed on the floor of the living area, with cushions and more blankets. When the older man came out, he went to get himself comfortable on the blankets, but Cloud stopped him "You can take my bed, please, it's the least I can do for all you have already done for my Ma"

Silver looked over at the matching single bed, set over near the sick woman's bed and raised a single eyebrow "You're kidding, right?"  
Cloud looked slightly offended at the tone and couldn't stop the blush from spreading across his face "I-I know it's not great looking, but it's a comfortable bed. My Da made them by hand before I was even born. I'm sorry I don't have better to offer you, but-"  
Silver raised his hand and the blond went quiet "There is nothing wrong with the bed. It looks like a fine, sturdy bed, but..." He cleared his throat and slowly walked over to the bed with an amused grin on his face. He very carefully sat on the bed, before pivoting himself to lay down on it. He sighed as he looked over at the younger man with a look on his face that spoke volumes.  
Cloud looked at the sight of the man laying on his bed and bit his lip. Not only did he take up the entirety of the bed, he was left with not just his feet but a good portion of his calves hanging over the end of it. A loud snort escaped Cloud in spite of his efforts to hold the laughter in, which set off a deep rumbling laughter from the man on the bed.  
Cloud found himself laughing along quietly, trying not to wake his sick ma. When they finished laughing the stress of the day away, Cloud cleared his throat and said "I think I should probably take the bed"  
Silver chuckled again as he got up and moved back over to the blankets on the floor "It's probably best"

They got themselves settled before Cloud turned off the lamp by his bed "Goodnight, Silver"  
"Sleep well, Cloud" Silver replied quietly into the relative darkness.  
He spent the next few hours swinging between cursing his own weakness and fretting over the decision he had made. How could someone effect him soo drastically in just one day?  
Everything he had worked for hinged on keeping himself hidden and that meant not using his abilities. But he knew he would never forgive himself if he let this woman die. More to the point, he would never forgive himself for letting Cloud go through the grief of losing his Ma.   
But why? He was just another backwoods mountain boy, living it tough like all the other's he'd seen in his travels. He'd never cared about helping any of them when they needed it and he knew he had the ability to... so why did this young man with his unruly golden hair and his unnaturally blue eyes, matter to him?

He finally drifted off into an exhausted sleep, still worrying about the situation.  
~  
The next morning found him up just as it started to get light, he hadn't slept well and what sleep he got was interrupted by strange dreams and even stranger nightmares.  
He started off the morning by swapping over the warm blankets on Ma Strife and getting the pot of herbs heating on the stove again. Then he threw his cloak on and quietly let himself out of the back door to make his way into town from his usual direction.

He headed straight to the inn, not at all surprised to find that there were already people in the dining area having breakfast.  
Tifa was at the front desk and smiled as he walked in "Good morning, Sir. We wondered when you would make it back into town" She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear and Sephiroth nodded once in understanding. She hadn't told anyone that he was helping the Strife's and he was glad for it. It wouldn't cause any trouble for him, but it was obvious that the other people in town would make some sort of big deal out of it. It was the last thing the Strife's needed.

He made what had become his usual exchanges with her. Certain people had set up a standing order for certain herbs and tinctures and they would leave the agreed upon trade price at the Inn. That way they didn't have to have the 'weird old man' in their home, possibly cursing them, but they still got what they wanted.  
Sephiroth had been more than happy with the arrangement. The last thing he wanted to do was go around, house to house, chasing up people for their money, possibly being invited in for a cup of tea or having to make small talk with people he found he could barely stand before he knew of how they treated Cloud. Now he couldn't look at them without a feeling of disgust creeping in.  
This way also meant, if the person didn't pay, they didn't get their order and if they wanted something different next time, it was handed to him in the form of a note.   
This way the Mayor could keep track of his business and assure there was 'no funny stuff going on'.

After completing the trades, he bid Tifa farewell and headed across the town square, to the town store.   
He took his time browsing their wares, thinking about what he already had stocked up at the cabin, and what he may need more of before his next visit.  
When he got to the medicine section he found himself shocked by the exorbitant prices. He suddenly understood why Cloud couldn't afford them. It wasn't just that they were not well off, it was that the prices were ridiculously high. A pack of basic cold and flu tablets that would cost three Gil in Midgar was skirting on almost ten times that here in Nibelheim.   
He looked for the medicine that Cloud's Ma would need and turned away in disgust. It was over One Hundred Gil for a five-day course of the medicine. If he had still been working at ShinRa, he would have tried to do someth-... He sighed to himself, knowing that the truth was, if he was still at ShinRa, he never would have cared enough to check the prices of medicines in a remote town.   
He likely would never have found himself in this particular remote town and if he had ended up here, the mission would never have involved meeting a stubborn young blond, needing his help to heal his sick mother. He would never have stepped foot in the store, let alone cared about the prices.

He took a deep breath and moved out of the aisle, mentally shaking off his frustration at his inability to stop something that was unjust. Instead, he grabbed a few fresh ingredients for dinner and some dried herbs of the non-local variety to add to his supplies.   
He left the store and headed back out into the woods, circling back to the Strife residence.

He knocked lightly before entering, not wanting to scare the two inside if either were up yet.  
Cloud looked up from where he was sitting on one of the steps into the living area with a steaming cup in his hand. Sephiroth nodded to him before turning to close the door and remove his cloak. He draped it over the end of Cloud's bed and then moved to join the blond on the step.

Cloud didn't even realize he was smiling like an idiot at the taller man until Silver raised an eyebrow and smiled back. He cleared his throat and mentally smacked himself in the head "Um, how did you sleep?" He asked as he tried to cover up his blush by bending his head down to sip his tea.  
"Well, thank you. You?"  
Cloud opened his mouth to say he slept fine but stopped himself. This man wasn't someone he needed to pretend to. He knew he wouldn't be judged by this man, so he answered honestly "Not very well actually. I had a few nightmares..." He shrugged his shoulders.  
"That's not surprising, Cloud. Did you... wanna talk about them?" Sephiroth didn't know if he would know how to respond to the dreams, but he remembered when he and his friends had first gone on the run, he would often wake up screaming and Angeal would be right there, ready to talk if he wanted to. He hadn't at first, but Geal had told him that sometimes it helped to talk about them and that when he was ready to talk, they would listen.   
When he finally did start talking about them, he found that most of his nightmares were more like re-living his past tortures, and telling his friends about them had helped, because they were able to reassure him that it was natural to wake up terrified if you were remembering something soo horrific.   
After a while, his night terrors had almost stopped and instead, he had started to mainly have dreams of going on adventures with his friends. He found he liked to talk about them even more because they were always weird and Genesis would be rolling on the floor laughing by the end of it.

Cloud hummed into his tea, then nodded "yeah, if you don't mind?" Cloud glanced up at him and took a deep breath when Silver nodded for him to continue "The first dream.... I was out the back, pulling weeds from my Da's grave, like usual. I was talking to him about life and telling him about you... but... when I looked down to pull some more weeds, there was a second cross next to his. It was new and the ground was freshly dug. The second dream I was actually in bed and I had just woken up, from that last dream and my heart was pounding and I felt like I couldn't breathe, but then, I saw Ma in the bed beside me, just like she is in the bed now and I calmed down... I got up to check on her and like every morning since she's been sick, I put my hand on her forehead... she was cold... like stone... I-I shook her gently, at first... then harder and I called out to her, but, she wouldn't wake up. She wasn't breathing, there was no pulse-no life in her. I was screaming for her to wake up when Ma smacked me with a pillow and woke me" He grinned wryly as he wiped some tears from his face. He felt better having voiced his dreams.

Silver laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently in the same way Angeal would have done to him. He didn't understand why, but it was comforting to him, so he hoped it would do the same for the blond.

"Thanks. For listening" Cloud gave the taller man a small smile "Ma says dreams and nightmares are just your brains' way of working things out subconsciously while you sleep and talking about it can help to make things clearer to your conscious mind when you're awake"  
"Your Ma's a smart woman" That made sense to Sephiroth. Your brain digesting your fears and anxieties while you slept the way your body digested food.

They both turned at the sound of the covers shifting in the bed across the room "Damn right I'm smart. At least the old... hm, I guess _not-so_ -old, herb peddler has some sense" She smiled as her son jumped up to check her over like a mother Chocobo fretting over newborn bos'.

Silver smiled and followed him. He checked her over and said nothing of the way she was eyeing him critically. After being satisfied with her condition, he headed over to the stove to warm up some of the broth from the night before, leaving Cloud to fuss over his Ma.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, wow, it's been a while. HI!  
> This is a little brain worm that has been bugging me for over a year, but I just never could get it started. It isn't finished, it is an ongoing fic. Will I finish it?... <_< Yeah, sure... we'll go with that. >_>
> 
> I have the first few chapters written so I may post them and... go from there #PrayForMe
> 
> OH, this shit is unedited, so PLEEEASE let me know if I fuck anything up. ♥


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